WASHINGTON – Will Rayman and
Rapolas Ivanauskas both registered double-doubles, and Colgate protected first place in the Patriot League standings with a 79-69 victory over American on Saturday at Bender Arena.
Rayman's 19 points paced four Raiders in double figures and he recorded his third straight double-double with a career-best 16 boards. Ivanauskas joined in on the double-double effort with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the senior duo combined for 36 points and 26 rebounds.
Jordan Burns scored 12 with five assists and
Jack Ferguson added 12.
Colgate (16-5, 7-1 Patriot) led 32-29 at the break, before roaring out of the second half with a dazzling 18-2 run over the first six minutes. After American's Stacy Beckton Jr. made the score 32-31, Rayman and Ivanauskas scored 12 straight in the paint. Then Ivanauskas (2) and Ferguson went back-to-back-to-back from downtown and the Raiders raced out front 50-33.
American (9-10, 5-3 Patriot) did not go away, though, and countered with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to trim the lead back to single digits. Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year Sa'eed Nelson scored seven of those points during the streak and he converted a three-point play to cut the margin to 50-42.
A strong turnaround jumper from Ivanauskas ended the Raiders' scoring drought, but the Eagles kept coming and a 3-pointer from Jamir Harris brought it to 54-49 midway through the half. Rayman once again came through in the clutch with a big answer. The senior drove inside and got a layup to fall while drawing a foul and converting the three-point play to put the Raiders back up by eight.
Both teams traded shots down the stretch. Every time the Eagles closed the gap, Colgate had an answer. Five straight points from Harris sliced the Raiders' edge to 70-65 with just over a minute left, but the Raiders finished 9-of-10 from the foul line to close it out.
Ferguson sank the last four free throws and Colgate secured the 79-69 victory. The win was Colgate's seventh straight against American, its longest win streak against a conference opponent. The Raiders improved to 6-5 on the road this season with the win.
The Raiders were able to get a couple early treys from
Tucker Richardson and Burns, but a 5-0 spurt for American fueled a 12-6 lead five minutes into the game. The Eagles' Mark Gasperini scored 10 of their first 12 points, all in the paint, on 4-of-6 from the field.
A strong drive and finish from Richardson brought the Raiders within two 12-10, but 3-pointers keyed a 6-2 run for the home team as Harris and Ben Lubarsky connected from long range to push American's advantage back up to 18-12 at the under-12 media timeout.
American extended its lead to 27-20 on a layup by Gasperini.
Nelly Cummings keyed a 9-0 answer for the Raiders with a driving layup to start the run and a triple on the back end to give Colgate a 29-27 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the half. Ferguson finished the hoop and the harm to give the Raiders a 32-29 edge at the intermission.
The Eagles scored the first bucket of the second half before Colgate kicked it into high gear and took control of the game with an 18-2 run over the next six minutes. The Raiders never led by fewer than five points the rest of the way en route to the 79-69 victory.
BOTTOM LINE
Colgate 79, American 69
QUOTES
Head Coach Matt Langel
On the win:
"I am really proud of the group, led by
Will Rayman. He is just playing like an absolute warrior. The group is following him in their own way and I couldn't be more proud of him and the team. American is a good team. They are extremely well-coached and they have some talented guys. Mark Gasperini hurt us to start the game inside and Sa'eed Nelson is as hard to stop as anybody in the country."
On holding off American late:
"To get out of here with a win is great. We lost our composure a little bit, but the Lafayette game helped remind us. We got up 17 tonight and then saw our lead shrink back down to single digits. The Lafayette game helped us with our composure and we did get some free throws tonight down the stretch. I am just proud of the group."
On the great Colgate contingent in attendance:
"This is a hard place to win. We haven't fared well here over the years, but the Colgate contingent was extraordinary today. We had a great turnout at the alumni get-together before the game sponsored by our athletic department. A number of former players were in the stands at the game today. To have the support of Raider Nation is really cool for our guys to realize what they have helped build."
Looking ahead to Lafayette:
"Wednesday's game is huge, mostly because it is the next game in front of us. It is on our home court and our fans have been great. If we want to be champions, we have to play well at home. We won't have to talk about it with our guys. They know Lafayette beat us. We certainly have a lot of respect for Lafayette and their offensive prowess. We will be ready Wednesday night."
GAME NOTES
· Rayman moved into fourth in program history in scoring with 1,652 career points.
· He is 48 points away from becoming the fourth in Colgate history to reach 1,700.
· His third consecutive double-double gives him a team-best six for the season.
· It was the second time this season Rayman and Ivanauskas both had double-doubles.
· Rayman netted a season-high eight field goals on 8-of-9 shooting.
· His 16 rebounds eclipsed his previous career-high 15 also against American on Jan. 2.
· Burns' five assists gave him 353 for his career, two away from fourth all-time.
· Ferguson reached double figures for the fourth time this season.
· Colgate improved to 11-2 overall this season when leading at halftime.
· The Raiders are 11-0 when shooting better from the field than their opponents.
· Colgate's last three opponents have all entered the matchup in second place.
· The Raiders have won each time and now hold a two-game lead in the Patriot League standings.
UP NEXT
Colgate hosts Lafayette on Wednesday with a chance to avenge its only Patriot League loss this season. Tip-off from Cotterell Court is 7 p.m., with Patriot League Network and 93.9 WKXZ carrying the live action.
